This Saturday night at the Hunter College Sportsplex, Gotham Girls Roller Derby will open the 2010 intraleague season with a matchup of the two most veteran-heavy teams in the league. The Bronx Gridlock are the reigning GGRD champions, enjoying their third consecutive undefeated regular season in 2009 and clinching the championship title over the Manhattan Mayhem last November. The Brooklyn Bombshells were less successful in 2009, going 1-2 in the regular season and suffering defeat at the hands of the visiting Sockit Wenches (of the Rat City Rollergirls) in the post-season doubleheader.
In 2010, however, the Bombshells emerge as one of the teams to beat within GGRD. They welcome back most of their 2009 crew, with the exception of blocker/jammers Barbara Ambush and Aunti Christ (the latter now skating for B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls). They've added rookies Tail Gunner Flo (formerly of the Long Island Roller Rebels), Score of Babylon (formerly of the Tallahassee Rollergirls) and Lady Fingers (a true rookie, but, as a former rugby player, no stranger to contact sports). Along with perennial hard hitters Hela Skelter, Hard Anya, Raggedy Animal, Papierschnitt, and 2009 Rookie of the Year OMG WT.F, the Brooklyn squad is one to watch out for this season.
The Bronx Gridlock has seen little personnel turnover since their inaugural season in 2006, and 2010 is no different. Blocker She Raw drove off into the sunset in 2009, and the cabbies have added three rookies in her place: Tough Muffin (formerly of Northwest Arkansas Roller Derby), Rushin' Revolution, and newly minted GGRD All-Star B. Zerk, a true rookie and an early contender for 2010 Rookie of the Year honors. The Gridlock also welcome back intimidating blocker Beyonsláy, sidelined for the entirety of the 2009 home season but ready to hit the track and hit any jammer in her way in 2010. Veteran jammers Bonnie Thunders and Luna Impact lead the Bronx's deep jamming rotation (7 of the Bronx's 16 skaters jam at least part-time) and hope to stymie the blocking walls of Brooklyn.
Last time Bronx and Brooklyn clashed (in July of 2009), the Bombshells gave the Gridlock a scare in the first half, leading for most of the period. In the second half, the checkered ladies put the brakes on Brooklyn, holding them to a mere 17 points in the second half for a final score of 131-58 in favor of the Bronx.
Will the season opener be a hint of what's to come in the 2010 GGRD Championship? Or will Brooklyn manage to topple the Big Yellow Machine for the first time since 2008's championship bout? The lucky fans who have tickets to the sold out bout will find out Saturday night, starting at 8:30 p.m. EDT at Hunter College.
Tickets for the remaining GGRD home games, including the May 22 bout between the Queens of Pain and Manhattan Mayhem, are available at ggrdtix.com.
UPDATE: GGRD released a late batch of tickets for sale; less than 30 remain as of Friday night. The bout will also be streamed live online Saturday night on Derby News Network.
UPDATE: Tonight's bout is a confirmed sellout. DNN coverage begins at 8:30 EDT.
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